DCCC Completes Little Theatre Seating Project

Despite being delayed for several months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the new seating project has now been completed at the Dodge City Community College Small Theater.

DCCC Director of Facilities and Operations Russ McBee said: “The project has been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances related to COVID-19.” “But when the workers finally arrived here, the speed at which things came out and returned really made me Surprised. In most cases, they only work with two or three crew members. Mcbee said that the contract contracted by Davis Furniture Company of Black River Falls, Wisconsin, began on November 9 for the project. The existing seats and brackets were removed. By November 14 (Saturday), the new seats had been installed and the project was completed. Although the theater has brand new seats, the layout and number of seats remain the same, which means There are still a total of 315 seats. The same area as previously designated for disabled customers. He said, however, unlike the original seats bolted to the front of the theater riser, the new chairs are bolted to the floor below the theater. on.

Mcbee said: "In addition to hiring Davis staff, some members of the DCCC baseball team were also hired to help take apart the new seats and bring them into the theater."

He said: “During the installation process, the DCCC maintainers added new handrails to the east and west walls of the theater.” “For some strange reason, we have never installed handrails on the stairs. This is because Security considerations."

Glendon Forgey, DCCC's vice president of administration and finance, said the new seats and handrails directly support the university's improved interaction with the community by creating a "more comfortable experience" when listening to and watching events in the university theater.

He said: "The new seats are higher from the floor and will bring more comfortable seats and a more pleasant experience to people watching theater performances."

Forgey said that in addition to being more comfortable, the new seats are also easier to clean.

He said: "The new material is an oil-based material called polyolefin." Even if the material is oil-based, it is still very comfortable. In fact, people might not know that this material is not some kind of cloth-based fabric if it is not told. "

The color of the new decoration is called "Sherpa Grape", and its color and texture are similar to the old seats. Folgi said that the Sherpa grape was chosen because it closely matched the color of theater curtains.

Forgey said that because the new seats will be easier to clean, they will also help reduce the spread of bacteria. Therefore, the university was able to request Ford County’s “Enhancing People and Revitalizing Kansas (SPARK)” funds through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which is the relief funds allocated by Kansas states to the state to help pay upgrade.

Davis submitted a winning bid of $55,903.25, and he won a theater seating contract at the special meeting of the DCCC board of directors held on June 30.